So, by those numbers, Brown had enough money yesterday to make the dish for 179,487 people.

To put it another way, he could feed every man, woman and child in Grove City, Hilliard,
Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Westerville combined; and still have enough left over for all of
New Albany.

And, considering that Hellmann’s has offered to donate all the mayonnaise that Brown needs, he
can actually afford to make far more than that.

I haven’t even considered the discounts he could get on potatoes for buying in bulk. And I do
mean
bulk.

I’ve seen recipes estimating that potato salad for 100 requires 30 pounds of potatoes. So he
would need 53,700 pounds for 179,000 people. I hope he has a big pantry.

On the other hand, he could just buy the stuff — for less.

The best deal I found nearby: at GFS, which said it has 10-pound containers of American potato
salad (similar to the Hellmann’s recipe) for $8.99.

Brown’s $70,000 would buy 7,786 containers. Each one feeds 32 — or 249,152 in all. So he could
invite a couple of more suburbs to the party.

If he wants a more intimate gathering, he could use really expensive potatoes.

La Bonnotte potatoes, grown on the coast of France, are often cited on lists of the most
expensive foods in the world because they’re scarce and delectable. Last year, a British newspaper
said they sold for about $350 a pound. (I’ve seen other stories quoting much higher and much lower
prices.)

Were Brown to allot 75 percent of his $70,000 — $52,500 — to potatoes alone, he could buy a
manageable 150 pounds of La Bonnottes at $350 a pound.

Brown, who undoubtedly knows he can’t make potato salad for 179,000, has said he’ll throw a
party with the money.

Whatever he does, expect a lot of media attention. And expect copycat campaigns soon on
Kickstarter for coleslaw, baked beans and deviled eggs.